Hoffmans Donate Historic Home to Fund Historic Preservation Scholarships

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Michael and Peggy Hoffman on the porch of their historic Fayetteville home.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A Fayetteville couple’s historic home will one day provide scholarships for University of Arkansas students studying historic preservation design.

Michael Hoffman is funding the creation of a scholarship by giving his house, which is located in the Washington-Willow Historic District of Fayetteville, to the university through a retained life estate donation. Proceeds from the sale of the house will create the Michael P. and Margaret J. Hoffman Endowed Scholarship Fund in Historic Preservation and will support Campaign Arkansas, the university’s capital campaign.

“Before my wife died, we discussed the idea of leaving our house to the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design so it could be sold to endow scholarships in historic preservation,” Hoffman said. “It was a logical decision for us, given our professional backgrounds in archeology, anthropology, museums and museum conservation.”

The Hoffmans’ home was built in the mid- to late 1800s and was originally constructed at the northwest corner of Washington Avenue and Lafayette Street before being moved to its current location on Washington Avenue in the early 1900s. The Hoffmans moved to Fayetteville from the Northeast in 1964, fell in love with the area and purchased the house in 1972. They have occupied it longer than any of its previous owners.

“The Hoffmans’ generosity and commitment to University of Arkansas students through a succession of scholarship gifts is truly exceptional,” said Peter MacKeith, dean of the Fay Jones School. “This scholarship gift, based upon their historic home and their friendships with so many of the school’s foundational faculty, possesses special significance for us and for the enhancement of our program in preservation design. We are deeply honored and grateful.”

Hoffman is a professor emeritus of the university and the Department of Anthropology in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, where his late wife, Peggy, also served as an assistant professor. Both were involved with the University Museum and worked alongside members of the architecture faculty interested in preservation – including Cy Sutherland, John Williams, Mort Karp, Murray Smart and Ernie Jacks – during their time at the U of A. The Hoffmans’ experience as faculty members allowed them to interact with students over the years and ultimately inspired their decision to fund scholarship support.

In 2001, the Hoffmans created the Samuel C. Dellinger, Margaret J. and Michael P. Hoffman Endowed Scholarship, named after the long-time director of the University Museum, to support students studying anthropology in Fulbright College. In 2012, Michael Hoffman established the Margaret J. Hoffman Endowed Scholarship for Citizens of Tribes Indigenous to the United States in memory of his wife, who passed away the year before.

The Hoffmans’ most recent scholarship will provide financial assistance to students attending the Fay Jones School who are interested in pursuing additional training, education and research in historic preservation design. The endowment will also be used to encourage students to engage in more focused academic pursuits related to historic preservation that will enhance their personal and professional development. Funds from the endowment will support research, internships, interdisciplinary collaboration significant to contemporary critical thinking in preservation design, conference attendance, field work and study abroad experiences related to historic preservation.

Students who graduate from an Arkansas high school will be given first consideration for the scholarship. Recipients must be enrolled in the Fay Jones School and demonstrate interest in and a professional commitment to historic preservation.

“Support of students studying historic preservation is logical to us,” Hoffman said. “It’s my hope that even students from outside architecture – such as those in history and archaeology – will be able to take some of the historic preservation courses so the program will have multidisciplinary aspects.”

Peggy Hoffman earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science in textile conservation from the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the U of A. Michael Hoffman holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a doctorate from Harvard University. He is counted as a Thoroughred at the university for his 24 years of consecutive giving.

About Campaign Arkansas: Campaign Arkansas is the ongoing capital campaign for the University of Arkansas to raise private gift support for the university’s academic mission and other key priorities. The campaign’s goal is to raise $1 billion to support academic and need-based scholarships, technology enhancements, new and renovated facilities, undergraduate, graduate and faculty research, study abroad opportunities and other innovative programs. The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in a wide spectrum of disciplines as it works to fulfill its public land-grant mission to serve Arkansas and beyond as a partner, resource and catalyst.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.